Malthael
"Much uncertainty surrounds the archangel Malthael. Once the calm guiding hand of wisdom, he was lost to us the moment the Worldstone disappeared. Unable to fathom that catastrophic event, he abandoned Heaven. His departure created a colossal fracture within the council, one that, to this day, remains unrepaired." — Selathiel, writing on Malthael Malthael is a former member of the Angiris Council. Once the Archangel of Wisdom, he has since become the Angel of Death. Biography The Great Conflict As with the rest of the Heavenly Host and its leaders, Malthael participated in the Great Conflict and played a crucial role in it.Book of Cain He was the first leader of the Angiris Council and through it, angelkind as a whole.2013-12-01, BlizzCon 2013 – Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Preview Panel Transcript. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2014-01-14 Wrath In one battle against the forces of Hell in Pandemonium, Malthael operated in sync with the rest of the Council, as they fought demonic forces led by Diablo. Malthael easily deflected the demon's attacks and used his weapons to immobilize Diablo himself. However, Imperius' hotheadedness led to the Lord of Terror being struck down rather than being taken prisoner as Tyrael and Auriel intended to. Malthael remained silent the entire time. The Sin War "Whatever the choice in the end, it does not matter for me... I abstain." — Malthael abstains from judging Sanctuary Not all minions of Heaven and Hell were content to be bound by the Great Conflict. The result was that under the leadership of the angel Inarius and demon Lilith, a number of rogues stole the Worldstone and created their own realm—Sanctuary. Malthael became consumed with discovering where the artifact had disappeared to, and as the Archangel of Wisdom, was tortured by his inability to find it. The coupling of angel and demon would lead to the rise of the nephalem. Following Sanctuary's creation, while it was originally hidden from the High Heavens, Malthael's mood darkened. Deckard Cain would later speculate that the existence of the nephalem clouded Malthael's vision or opened his eyes to a new truth, or that there was a connection between the nephalem and Malthael's chalice that the angel became aware of. Towards the end of the Sin War, Heaven became aware of the existence of Sanctuary, and in the final battle, the forces of Heaven, Hell, and the Edyrem clashed against each other. Malthael watched on, and beheld the existence of humanity. In the aftermath of the battle, the Angiris Council convened to discuss Sanctuary's fate and that of its inhabitants. Malthael abstained from voting, but the end result was that Sanctuary and its denizens would be allowed to exist, free to choose their own path.The Veiled Prophet Wisdom's End "Wisdom shall be lost." — An excerpt from the Prophecy of the End of Days, speculated by Cain to relate to Malthael Malthael disappeared after the destruction of the Worldstone. Just prior to this, he had apparently taken a greater interest in humanity.2013-11-03, Reaper of Souls - Urzaels Journal Sound Files. YouTube, accessed on 2014-02-09 His departure broke the unity of the Angiris Council. Some speculated that he haunted the Halls of Pandemonium, seeking answers to the unknowable mysteries of life and death. Regardless, after Diablo's defeat in his siege of the High Heavens, a now mortal Tyrael took Malthael's place as the Aspect of Wisdom.Diablo III, Act IV In truth, Malthael had seen these events. He had seen the actions of Zoltun Kulle, a human who had embraced evil. He had beheld the latent power of the nephalem hero. He had seen that hero defeat the Prime Evil, an act that in all his years of war in the Eternal Conflict, he had never been able to match. Faced with such power, and beholding humanity as an abomination, Malthael resolved to become the embodiment of Death. With the Lords of Hell defeated, he reasoned that humanity was the most powerful "demonic" force left, as per their ancient nephalem heritage. With humanity's eradication, Heaven would stand alone, victorious in the Great Conflict.2013-09-10, Malthael the bad guy... wait what?. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2013-09-11 He established the Pandemonium Fortress as his base of operations.2013-12-01, BlizzCon 2013 – Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Preview Panel Transcript. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2014-01-15 Imperius' lieutenant, Balzael, fell in league with Malthael.Storm of Light He also came to be joined by Urzael, who shared Malthael's views on humanity. The angelic maidens that Urzael had brought with him also pledged themselves to Malthael's cause.2013-11-04, REAPER OF SOULS™ FIRST LOOK: WESTMARCH BESTIARY. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2014-01-04 Reaper of Souls "No-one can stop death..." —Malthael Not long after Tyrael took his former aspect, Malthael re-emerged, now embodying the aspect of death.Reaper of Souls, Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2013-08-22 He confronted his erstwhile brother and a group of Horadrim, who were in the process of containing the Black Soulstone. Malthael easily slew the Horadrim and devoured their souls in the process. While he defended himself against Malthael's initial onslaught, Tyrael could not harm Malthael and was also incapacitated. Seeing that Tyrael's soul was free of demonic taint (unlike those of humans), he did not see Tyrael as his enemy and spared him. After casting Tyrael aside, Malthael then approached the stone,2013-08-21, Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Opening Cinematic. YouTube, accessed on 2013-08-22 intent on bending its powers to his will, and bringing an end to the Great Conflict.2013-08-23, Diablo III Reaper of Souls Interview with Josh Mosqueira GC2013. YouTube, accessed on 2013-09-08 Tyrael declared that the nephalem would stop him. Malthael simply responded that no one could stop death, before taking the Soulstone for himself. Afterwards, Malthael led his Reapers against Westmarch. By the time the nephalem hero re-emerged to confront him, his plan to eradicate humanity was nearly complete. In-game Malthael is the main antagonist of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls. Personality and Traits Malthael is a gaunt figure, adorned in black robes and armor.The Art of Diablo III As the Archangel of Wisdom, he was once an intelligent and noble being who was said to cherish all life. However, he came to be regarded as melancholic, evasive and even frightening, and was an enigma even to his own kind.2013-11-09, BlizzCon 2013 – Diablo III: Reaper of Souls – FAQ. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2013-12-19 He rarely spoke, was slow to anger and could be ponderous and slow to act, but was revered by other angels for his insight. When he did speak, his voice is said to have enraptured other angels through its melody and the wisdom it conveyed. However, as his demeanor darkened, his voice became chilling and could provoke thoughts of foreboding and feelings of angst. Mendeln was one such example, Malthael's voice filling him with thoughts of permanent, empty death. Malthael sees humanity as an "abomination" that shouldn't exist. As the Angel of Death, Malthael has become even darker, callously murdering those who oppose him and seeing things in black and white. His wings, once bright and purple, had become white and wispy, seemingly skeletal in their appearance. The method of his transformation is different from other fallen angels such as Izual. Abilities Wisdom was once Malthael's aspect, thus, he is bound to see all things. He so derived it from Chalad'ar, the Chalice of Wisdom. While Malthael is slow to anger, he is still a peerless combatant. Wielding a pair of sickle-like shotels,Wrath he can deflect enemy attacks with only the slightest use of force. As the Angel of Death, Malthael has demonstrated the ability to rip souls, and rot bodies with his wings. He is extremely in-tune with souls, and is able to sense any demonic taint within them.2013-10-22, El'Druin. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2013-10-22 Trivia *The Angel of Death is a figure in Biblical and Talmudic myth, often otherwise regarded as the Grim Reaper. References Category:Angiris Council Category:Angels Category:Reapers Category:Boss